A 1777 tax list of what is now Putnam County, New York, includes several Crosbys. See http://genealogytrails.com/ny//putnam/history/chapter4.html. Presumably one is the father or grandfather of our Elisha Crosby. See J. Kelsey Jones' analysis of many of these men in a post from several years ago. Some Fosters, Conklins and one Garrison are also listed.

On a page entitled "Some Inter-related Families of 18-19th Century Frankfort, Herkimer County, NY" at http://herkimer.nygenweb.net/frankfort/frankfamilies/InterRelatedFamilies.html, I found the following: "David A. [RUSCOE] ... married Mary Crosby FERO (December 11, 1836-March 17, 1923), daughter of Isaac FERO and Philena CROSBY (first-cousin of the well-known blind, hymn writer, Fanny CROSBY) on April 6, 1854. They had ten children, six of whom were born while the family was in New York." I don't think I can trust the relationship statement very much. Everyone seems to want to be related to someone famous. Plus my professional genealogist friend who commented on this line said she thought Fanny's mother was through Isaac Crosby (1718-1815) and her father through Joshua Crosby but it sounds like the lineage isn't definite. Furthermore, Philena was the daughter (or step-daughter) of Theodorus Crosby (c. 1781-1848), son of Obadiah Crosby (b. 1760), so if Philena and Fanny were first cousins, Fanny would have had to have been a granddaughter of Obadiah. Fanny was born in Putnam County in 1820. Obadiah left the Dutchess County area which later became Putnam County in the 1790s and moved west to Chenango and Montgomery Counties. It seems unlikely that Fanny was a granddaughter of Obadiah; the first cousin relationship doesn't seem plausible.

Information about another Elisha Crosby (I don't know how or if he is related to our Elisha) I found another Elisha Crosby but I think he is younger than Elisha (1763-1818). The one I found recently is in the 1803 tax list for Plainfield, Otsego County, New York on Ancestry.com. (The index to these tax lists is incomplete). This Elisha Crosby owned no real estate but owned $80 worth of personal property. This Elisha was listed immediately following a Samuel Crosby in the tax list, which was organized by first letter of surname. Samuel did own quite a bit of real estate. I think that this Elisha Crosby was more likely a younger man than our Elisha and probably the son of Samuel Crosby. The first time he appeared in the tax list was in 1803, so perhaps he married or went out on his own that year. This might make him born between 1778 and 1785. Samuel Crosby was listed in the Plainfield tax lists in 1800 and 1802. The 1800 Census for Samuel Crosby in Plainfield indicates he might have been born before 1765 and he had a male in the household born between 1775 and 1784 who might have been the Elisha Crosby who showed up in 1802 in the tax list. In 1810 neither no Elisha nor Samuel Crosby was enumerated in Plainfield or anywhere in Otsego County. There was a Sam. Crosby born before 1785 who was listed in Bristol, Ontario County, New York, near Simeon and Ira Crosby and in the same town as Saml Crosby, Jr. There was an Elisha Crosby in Adams, Jefferson County, New York, born between 1766 and 1784. Other Elisha Crosbys in 1810 appear to be men who are not our Elisha or probably not the Elisha of Plainfield, or who lived in places east of Otsego County. Also listed in Plainfield in 1803 was a Samuel Foster who owned a house & farm of 381 acres. This was significant to me because I have been tracing the descendants of Samuel Foster, son of Nathaniel Foster and Phebe Wing, who may have been a brother-in-law to our Elisha Crosby. In the 1800 Census, the Samuel Foster in Plainfield has a household configuration that compares well with what is known about the family of potential relative Samuel Foster. In 1810 this Samuel Foster was enumerated in Henderson, Jefferson County, New York. It might be significant that Elisha Crosby (b. 1766/1784) and Samuel Foster lived in the adjoining towns of Adams and Henderson in Jefferson County. According to information on the Jefferson County Genweb, Elisha was enumerated in Henderson in 1820 but was buried in the village of Adams Center. See http://jefferson.nygenweb.net/crosbyp.htm. Research in the land and probate records of Otsego and Jefferson counties might reveal more information about these people. In the meantime, I hope this hasn't confused anyone.